The story below is a preview from our January/February 2018 issue. For the full story Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
Find their coffee in two new additional spaces.
The Roanoke Valley has become an ideal location for Sharon Ponce, owner of the Little Green Hive to build on her love of coffee. A lifelong coffee lover, Sharon’s draw to coffee goes back to sharing early morning cups of coffee with her truck driver father.
“Coffee is comforting. It reminds me of home,” she shares. Which is why when she was offered the opportunity to buy her own coffee shop about a year ago, she jumped on it.
The Little Green Hive is a staple in downtown Roanoke nestled in the entryway of the 16 West Market Street building. In June of 2016, Sharon re-opened the shop and plans to grow their footprint across the Roanoke area.
“When we opened up downtown, we found an amazing sense of community and have met some of the most amazing people ever. It’s been wonderful.”
The quaint, eclectic feel of the shop combined with superior coffee draws a diverse set of coffee drinkers. The shop serves unique coffee combinations, exotic teas, and handcrafted whole-fruit smoothies, along with pastries sourced both from her own kitchen and from local bakeries with vegan and gluten-free options. The family endeavor, with help from her husband and three kids, has been successful enough to lay the foundation for expansion.
In Fall 2017, they unveiled two new locations. The new Grandin location, in the former Cups Coffee space, opened up November 1st along with locations in Salem on the Roanoke College campus. To make the transition as easy as possible, they’ll keep serving java while renovating the space to inject the Little Green Hive vibe.
As they expand, they will continue to pour only locally sourced, fair trade, and organic coffee roasted in small batches for maximum freshness and will use local suppliers, like Dutchess Dairy in Rural Retreat. Each location carries the familiar branding and serves a similar menu of drinks and sweet treats, but will have its own sense of individuality based on the area it serves.
“Our goal to become your coffee happy place,” says Sharon.
… for more from our January/February 2018 issue, Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
